Goodrich officials plan to turn in signed petitions for work on century-old drain

Pictured is the Wheelock Watkins drain district in Goodrich. Village officials will be turning in petitions within the next month or so to start the process of looking into potential repairs of the century-old drain.Courtesy of Genesee County Drain Commission

GOODRICH, MI – Goodrich officials have petitions signed and
ready to turn in for repairs on a century-old drain.

The Wheelock Watkins Drain, initially built in 1897, has
been causing flooding and water damage at a few homes for more than a
year and families have been urging village officials to do something about it.

Goodrich councilmen Richard Saroli and Doug McAbee began
circulating a petition in October to collect signatures of those living in the
drainage district to get the process started. The 18 signatures required have
been collected and petitions should be turned into the Genesee County Drain
Commission within the next month, McAbee said.

After the petition is received, a public hearing would be
scheduled within 30 days, said Genesee County Drain Commissioner Jeff Wright.

"The petition would get the county to come out and take a
look at (the drain). It gets the ball rolling," McAbee said. "It's not
obligating. It's not a yes (to have repairs done)."

The drain currently runs 2,035 feet through a 169-acre
drainage district. There are a total 154 parcels within the district, said Sue
Kubic, senior civil engineer for the Genesee County Drain Commission.

It's important to know that during the petition process the
drain district can be re-evaluated and district lines might change, Kubic said.
There is also a private drain within the district that could potentially be added
to the Wheelock Watkins Drain.

Allen moved into her home on Ridge Road in 2009, unaware of
the flooding problem. Every time it would rain heavily, water
would back up in her yard. In May 2011, the water got really close to her
home and in July 2011, the rain was so heavy that a foot of water built up in
her basement for nine hours, she said.

Her basement flooded again after the heavy rain May 4, 2012.

"I'm glad that they are finally doing something or at least
pretending that they are taking this on. I don't understand why it took them
almost a year and a half to do the right thing. It doesn't erase the fact that
I'm still happy. It's still a long way out," Allen said. "I am grateful and thankful
that they did that. I just think they are going to have to take preventive measures
in the meantime."

John and Caitlin Pavlick began approaching the council in
May after more than 6 inches of water filled their basement after a heavy rain
in May.

Wright said the drain, which was originally built as an agricultural
drain, is in good condition, but it just can't hold all the storm runoff that
is produced now.

"It needs to be looked into and the public hearing needs to
be set," Wright said. "The drain itself is in pretty good shape. We spend quite
a bit of money, time and effort to maintain it. The problem is it's undersized."

The drain is owned by all the landowners in the district, but
is maintained by the county, along with 1,500 other drains, Wright said.

In September, Allen hoped the council would pass a resolution
to get the process started, but instead council members decided to circulate
the petition to allow residents to make the decision.

Before the drain commission public hearing, a board of determination would be
created. The board would consist of three people not from the drainage district
– most likely officials from other municipalities. After hearing testimony
from residents on whether the project is needed, the board would decide
if the project would move forward.

"If you can prove that there is a water problem that is detrimental
to health, welfare and convenience of the people of the area (then the project
would be deemed necessary)," Wright said.

The cost of the project would be shared by the village,
residents living in the drain district and the drain commission.

McAbee said getting the process started is crucial to
finally getting the problem solved.

"We want to get this resolved and just take emotion right
out of it. (We need to figure out) what's right and what's wrong," he said.

But the issue is also controversial, because many homes in
the district are on a hill so only a few homes are affected byn flooding, and no matter what
the solution is, money will have to be spent if the board approves a project,
McAbee said.

There is a state law, Public Act 40 of 1956, however, that
was put into place to protect the few, Wright said.

"Most people don't appreciate the fact that their water runs
off the hill onto somebody else. (They all are) financially responsibility if
work is done," he said.

The cost and timeframe of a potential project depend on the
type of work that would be needed. If it's only a few pipes that need to
be replaced, the project could be done in a year, but if it's
something that requires a new easement or a total rebuild, it could take more
like two to three years, Wright said.

"Because of year after year of budget cuts and staff reduction,
it could be some time before construction or work is actually done," Wright
said.